Fun Facts about Science

A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court.

Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.

An ounce of gold can be stretched into a wire 50 miles long

An area of the Sun's surface the size of a postage stamp shines with the power of 1,500,000 candles.

Diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substances and are among the most valuable as well. Diamond crystals are formed entirely of carbon. The only four major diamond fields that have been found are in Africa, South America, India, and the former Soviet Union.

In 1957, the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania went on line. It was the first nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States, (It was taken out of service in 1982.)

Extremely high pressured water can easily cut through a steel beam.

In 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of retired dentist Dr. Barney Clark, who lived 112 days with the device.

Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.

Mineral deposits in caves: The ones growing upward are stalagmites, the ones growing downward are stalactites.

Natural gas has no odor. The smell is added artificially so that leaks can be detected.

Sea water, loaded with mineral salts, weighs about a pound and a half more per cubit foot than fresh water at the same temperature.

Ten per cent of the salt mined in the world each year is used to de-ice the roads in America.

The Chinese were using aluminum to make things as early as 300 AD Western civilization didn't rediscover aluminum until 1827.

The air we breathe is 78% nitrogen, 21.5% oxygen, .5% argon and other gases.

The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered. Found in 1905, the original 3,100 carats were cut to make jewels for the British Crown Jewels and the British Royal family's collection.

The most abundant metal in the Earth's crust is aluminum.

The United States government keeps its supply of silver at the US Military Academy at West Point, NY.

The only rock that floats in water is pumice.

A dwarf star is so dense that it would take 8 men to lift a teaspoon full of its matter.

The number of neuron cells in our brain is more than the total number of stars in our galaxy